SEARCY – Harding men's tennis dropped its final home match of the 2013 season Friday with a 5-4 loss to East Central in Great American Conference play.

Harding, ranked No. 8 in the NCAA II Central Region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, fell to 12-6 overall and 0-2 in conference action. The Bisons play their final regular season match Tuesday against Southeastern Oklahoma in Durant.

East Central, ranked No. 6 in the Central Region, won two of the three doubles matches. Harding's lone victory came at No. 1 where Kittibodee Singnil and Jon Mark Rowden, the No. 2-ranked doubles team in the region, defeated Andrew Cabato and Nate Kipping 8-2.

Harding needed four singles victories but came up one short. Singnil and Rowden both won their singles matches. Singnil, ranked 13th in the region, defeated Max DeJuan, ranked 10th, by a score of 6-1, 6-2. Rowden won in three sets over Marc Fillat 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

Caleb McReynolds earned Harding's fourth point with a 2-6, 7-6, 7-6 victory over Cabato at No. 5 singles.

It was the final home match for Harding head coach David Elliott, who announced his retirement after 39 seasons on Thursday.